In 1932, Aldous Huxley wrote a book about the future. It is a future where everyone is happy, everyone belongs to everyone else, children are decanted (not born) and society is split into a 5-part caste system where a person’s thinking capacity is limited depending on what job they are destined to perform.

Brave New World is an absolute brilliant piece of work. It was surprisingly relevant still today and made me think on many different levels about the way we live and the choices we make. It took me on a journey beginning in awe of the utopian society, to questioning it, to loathing it. Unlike the previous book in the challenge it had a clearly defined beginning, middle and end. And it took me just a few days to read.

So how close was Huxley in predicting the future? Did he get it right?

Interesting question.

Yes, you can now fly half-way around the world in just a few hours (although not in a rocket). Yes, having multiple partners in one’s lifetime is now accepted, and sometimes even expected (just not all at the same time). Yes, hard-copy books are becoming obsolete over the modern multimedia options (but we are yet to experience the ‘feelies’). And yes, babies can start their lives off in a bottle (even though, at this stage, we still require them to grow inside a human being).

But as I read further into Brave New World, it became clear to me that this wasn’t a book about predictions.

It was a warning.

82 years ago, Huxley saw things changing; he wanted to warn the world, that if we continue down this path, terrible things could happen.

Things that look pretty good on the surface, but take away everything that makes life worth living.

We are at risk of becoming a passive society, where we are told what to wear, what to say, what to do. We are at risk of losing our own identities. By pursuing nothing but happiness (or contentedness) we are at risk of losing every other emotion: love, sadness, jealousy, anger, passion, desire.

So, the more relevant question isn’t about whether his prediction was right. The more relevant question is:

In a sense, Jessie, you are delving into another brave new world – the world of books! And I can tell from your review of Aldous Huxley’s book that it promises to be an exciting adventure for you. There will undoubtedly be some great highs, some fathomless lows, and lots of neutral territory on the way, but please keep your reviews coming. They’re real motivational.

A thoughtful review, Jessie, and one that has persuaded me to reread ‘Brave New World.’ It’s not on your list, I know, but Dave Eggers wrote ‘The Circle’ a novel about social media and one large internet corporation taking over the world. What was interesting was that it all seems so benign and even benevolent on the surface.